Members of the U.S. House of Representatives denounce "cruel" blockade of Cuba

Representatives Delia Ramirez, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Jonathan Jackson held a press conference to demand an end to the U.S. blockade against Cuba, calling the policy inexcusable and cruel.

Image via the Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos on Facebook

On June 30, 2026, four members of the U.S. House of Representatives—Delia Ramirez, Pramila Jayapal, Jonathan Jackson, and Ro Khanna—gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol to speak out against the longstanding U.S. blockade against Cuba. The press conference was organized alongside National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States, which joined in the call for policy change.

Prior to the conference NNU President Jamie Brown, RN said “Nurses cannot and will not stay silent while our president’s policies cause immense suffering, at home or abroad. The Trump administration is using innocent lives, including pregnant women and infants, to force the Cuban government to concede to its completely unrealistic demands. U.S. nurses denounce these cruel tactics and demand an end to the blockade.”

The representatives collectively condemned the U.S. blockade as cruel and inexcusable, emphasizing its impact on the Cuban population and the hindrance it poses to humanitarian aid and essential supplies.

They recounted firsthand experiences from their recent trip to the island, where they saw hospitals with too few incubators, damaged equipment, and premature babies in danger. They also reiterated their support for Cuba’s self‑determination, the normalization of relations, and ending the Trump Administration's intensification of the decades long policy of collective punishment.

“Two months ago, I went to Cuba and saw the devastation and destruction of the US blockade firsthand – people living with no electricity to power their refrigerators or gas to put in their cars, doctors keeping babies alive in incubators run by generator power," said U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal in a press release prior to the event. "I left Cuba shocked by the inhumane effects of US policy. We must immediately end this blockade, lift the embargo, and work to normalize relations between our countries.”

"Despite history having shown us that peace and democracy have never been realized through strongmen, United States imperialism, or unilateral military intervention, Trump and Rubio have established another blockade against Cuba. The immoral, inexcusable, cruel blockade has cut Cubans off from healthcare, safe food, potable water, and security," said U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez. "I stand with Cubans demanding self-determination, freedom, and safety. That is why I am clear that we must become good neighbors. We must end the blockade and the siege on the Cuban people."